With the All-Star Break upon us and the Brewers already 14 1/2 games out of 1st place, Slingin' David Stearns has been fielding phone calls left and right about any and all players in what should be another active trade deadline for him. When I was away on my honeymoon, the Crew flipped Aaron Hill for two prospects to Boston, which was probably the most expected move of any they could have made. Hill came along in the package we got in the Segura-Wagner trade to Arizona, and I thought at the time how brilliant it was to get another trade chip in that deal. It was a very Billy Beane-esque move. There is no space on a rebuilding roster for a 34-year old with an expiring contract.
There have also been a lot of rumors floating around about where Jonathan Lucroy is heading. The Rangers, Astros, and Red Sox are all in need of an upgrade at catcher and have all been linked to the all-star, among others. A common thread with all of the teams interest is the bevy of blue-chip prospects they have in their farm system and/or Major League roster right now. I would think that Lucroy will demand no less than 3 major-league caliber high-ceiling type prospects, not just guys who can fill a roster. I personally don't see him getting traded until the offseason unless some team suffers a catastrophic injury at catcher in the next 2 weeks, but because he is arguably the Brewers best player and has a very team-friendly contract, he will continue to garner the most attention. More likely than Lucroy, I expect to see some of our bullpen pieces get traded. Jeremy Jeffress has been extremely serviceable as the closer in a year where he was not even expected to be in the role. He has an ERA a shade above 2.00, a great groundball rate, and only 1 blown save. Will Smith has also been one of the most reliable lefty late-inning relievers in all of baseball the last 2+ seasons, with mid-90s heat and a diving slider. They are both also under team control for at least 3 more seasons, making them very attractive to any suitor. Blaine Boyer is pitching decently and is a veteran on a one-year deal. I expect one or all of them to be dealt soon, and really any reliever we have right now has to be considered fair game. Chris Carter, Junior Guerra, and some of our bench outfielders might get some interest as well. In fact I would say pretty much anybody except Jimmy Nelson and Zach Davies is tradeable at this point on the major league roster.
It should be an interesting couple of weeks to say the least. Come August 1st, we could have a completely different roster.
STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 07.12:
Brewers 38-49, -14.5, -8.5 WC (3 @ Reds, 3 @ Pirates)
Reds 32-57, -21.5, -15.5 WC (3 v. Brewers, 3 v. Braves)
Twins 32-56, -20.0, -17.5 WC (3 v. Indians, 3 @ Tigers)
2016 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 11 (+15 worked)
Peter - 21
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.
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